Text Bulletin 0800 hrs

Text News

A high level meeting with Prime Minister in the chair in Islamabad today will review energy situation in the country.

Finance Minister has directed for effective steps to achieve revenue targets for the new fiscal year.

Pakistan has assured full support to UNICEF efforts for improving water and sanitation conditions.

France, Germany and Russia are meeting in Berlin today to discuss situation in Ukraine.

In Iraq, ten people have been killed in a car bomb explosion in Baghdad.

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PM MEETING

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will preside a meeting of the cabinet committee on energy in Islamabad today.

The Committee had also held a meeting at which the Prime Minister had directed for minimum loadshedding in the month of Ramazan-ul-Mubarik.

On the occasion, Nawaz Sharif said government is fully cognizant of the problems faced by masses due to power shortage and it will not rest till a significant relief is provided to them.

The meeting was informed that an additional nine thousand one hundred seven megawatt electricity will be added to the system by March next year.

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PM-PROJECTS

Nawaz Sharif also chaired a meeting on roads and motorways and directed the authorities concerned to adhere to the timelines of development projects without compromising transparency and quality of the work.

Director General FWO and Chairman NHA briefed the Prime Minister regarding progress on various roads and motorway projects being undertaken across the country.

The Prime Minister said roads and motorways would help in boosting the economy of Pakistan by providing access of far-flung areas to urban centers besides generating employment opportunities.

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DAR

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has directed for effective steps to achieve revenue targets for the fiscal year 2017-18.

He was presiding the post-budget meeting of the Finance Ministry held in Islamabad.

The Minister appreciated efforts of Federal Board of the Revenue's team for preparing a balanced budget.

The meeting also reviewed revenue targets for the next fiscal year.

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FBR

All field offices of Federal Board of Revenue will observe extended working hours today and tomorrow till 6:00pm to facilitate tax payers.

Federal Board of Revenue has established liaison with the State Bank of Pakistan and National Bank to ensure transfer of tax collection before Wednesday.

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KHURRAM

Minister for Commerce Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan says the government is working on several power generation projects, which would be operational soon.

In an interview, he said the Sahiwal coal plant, Port Qasim and other projects would bring improvement in the energy sector.

He said demand for electricity has been increasing due to hot weather and despite that there is no loadshedding in the industrial sector.

To a question he said several power projects, including those under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor were delayed due to sit-ins and protest demonstrations held by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf.

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ZAHID

Minister for Climate Change Zahid Hamid says Pakistan will continue its support to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund for improving conditions of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in the country.

He was talking to UNICEF Representative in Pakistan, Ms. Angela Kearney in Islamabad.

Ms. Angela Kearney appreciated Pakistan's role to establish a cell at Ministry of Climate Change for improving water and sanitation and offered services of UNICEF to the Ministry in organizing the South Asian Conference on Sanitation VII.

Pakistan will host the conference in the beginning of the next year.

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SESSIONS

The Senate and the National Assembly will resume their sessions in Islamabad at 11.00 a.m today.

The House expressed solidarity with Kashmiris and supported their struggle for freedom from the Indian repression.

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KHATTAK

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak has directed the concerned authorities to complete all ongoing clean drinking water schemes by the end of next month.

He expressed these views while presiding over a consultative meeting in connection with the next budget in Peshawar.

Pervez Khattak said the government is utilizing all resources to overcome energy crisis in the province.

He directed Peshawar Development Authority to convert tube-wells and street lights in Peshawar city on solar energy.

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RANGERS

Sindh Rangers have appealed citizens of Karachi to cooperate with Rangers in exposing elements who are trying to collect Zakat and Fitrana under duress.

In a statement issued in Karachi today, the Rangers asked citizens to ensure before making their donation or Zakat and Fitrana that the organization is not involved in any terrorist or anti-social activities.

Information or complaint in this regard can be provided to Sindh Rangers on their help line number 1101.

The citizens can also contact Ranger's nearest check post for the purpose.

UN-RIGHTS

The United Nations has criticized Britain for an alarming shift towards criminalizing peaceful protest and free expression.

A report released by the world body says Britain's civil society is at risk from police tactics, anti-terrorism legislation and curbs on charities and trade unions.

The report terms the country's counter-terrorism strategy inherently flawed which is dividing, stigmatizing and alienating segments of the population.

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RUSSIA-FRANCE

Russia and France have agreed to set up a joint working group on fight against terrorism.

The announcement was made during a joint press briefing of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron after meeting in Versailles, France.

Speaking on the occasion, the French President said we will share information to work together to improve situation in Syria.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told journalists we have discussed different issues and tried to find a common ground.

The two Presidents also discussed situation in Korean Peninsula and the implementation of Minsk agreements on Ukraine.

German Foreign Ministry spokesman told a news conference in Berlin that the meeting will review the current situation with regard to ceasefire and other commitments under the Minsk agreements.

OSCE's special representative in the trilateral contact group on Ukraine will also attend the consultations.

The Normandy Contact Group is designed to broker a peace process in rebel-held regions in eastern parts of Ukraine.

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EGYPT

Egypt has called militant training camps in Libya a direct threat to its national security.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry while speaking at a news conference along with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Cairo, said terrorist attack in Minya has proved that Libyan militants are capable of targeting Egypt to destabilize it.

He said Egypt has targeted the bases of these organisations to get rid of them and limit their ability to threaten our national security.

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IRAQ

In Iraq, ten people were killed and twenty-two wounded when a car bomb exploded outside an ice cream shop in Baghdad.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

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WEATHER

Mainly hot and dry weather is expected in plain areas of the country during the next twelve hours.

However, dust-thunderstorm/rain with gusty winds is likely at a few places in Malakand, Hazara, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore divisions, Islamabad and Kashmir.